CHASTAIN ROARS AT ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Ross Chastain, rolling toward sealing a spot in the Xfinity Series playoffs, scored one of his best runs of the season Saturday, finishing seventh in the Johnsonville 180 at Road America.

The strong finish kept Chastain solidly in the running for the series playoffs. He is 12th and in the final playoff position, an impressive 49 points ahead of 13th-place Michael Annett with three regular-season races to go.

“What a great day for the team,” Chastain said. “A solid car and a really good finish. This keeps us on target for the playoffs. I appreciate what everybody contributed to this finish.”

The finish was Chastain’s sixth in the top 10 this season.

Justin Allgaier won the race and leads the point standings.

The series moves on to Darlington Raceway for a Sept. 1 race.

MILLER ENJOYS ROAD AMERICA RUN

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Vinnie Miller finished 27th in Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 Xfinity Series race at Road America.

The outing on the tough 14-turn course was a highlight for Miller, who had had problems in earlier road-course events. He finished on the lead lap in the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet.

“We finally got a road-course finish with not a scratch on the JAS Expedited Trucking Camaro,” Miller said. “For me and all these guys on the No. 01 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team, a P27, lead-lap finish feels like a win. We’ve had a bad last three or four weeks and needed a strong day. As for road courses, so far Road America is my favorite one on the circuit.”

Miller started 38th but moved through the field to finish strong and gain one spot in the Xfinity point standings to 25th.

Justin Allgaier won the race and leads the point standings.

The series moves on to Darlington Raceway for a Sept. 1 race.

SMITHLEY POSTS 15TH AT ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Garrett Smithley turned in a fine performance Saturday in the Johnsonville 180 at Road America, bringing the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 0 Chevrolet home 15th.

The finish was Smithley’s best in the past dozen races and lifted him to 19th in Xfinity points.

“A nice run today,” Smithley said. “The guys gave me a great car, and we were able to stay out of trouble and move up through the field. It was a fun day all around.”

Justin Allgaier won the race and leads the point standings.

The series moves on to Darlington Raceway for a Sept. 1 race.

CHASTAIN LOOKING FOR ROAD SUCCESS

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Ross Chastain will continue his quest for a spot in the Xfinity Series playoffs in Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 at Road America.

Chastain will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet in the 45-lap race over Road America’s tough and twisty 4.7-mile  course.

Chastain sits 12th on the Xfinity playoff grid with four races remaining in the regular season. He has a 42-point cushion over the cutoff line.

“We’re looking for another fine road-course day Saturday,” Chastain said. “We’ve had good cars all summer through this stretch. This week should be no exception. We’re ready to roll.”

Practice is scheduled Friday at 1:35 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. (ET). Qualifying is set for 12:35 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.

SMITHLEY ROLLS INTO ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Garrett Smithley will make another run at road-course success in Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 Xfinity Series race at Road America.

Smithley will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 00 Chevrolet (which the team has nicknamed the “Number Nuthin’ ”) in the series’ third road-course race in four weeks.

“Road-course racing always is a challenge for me,” Smithley said. “But I like the change from week-to-week oval tracks. It requires a different mindset and different approach.”

Five drivers – Jeremy Clements, Michael McDowell, Brendan Gaughan, AJ Allmendinger and Nelson Piquet Jr. – scored their first Xfinity win at Road America.

Practice is scheduled Friday at 1:35 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. (ET). Qualifying is set for 12:35 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.

MILLER VISITS ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – The NASCAR Xfinity Series goes on the road again this weekend at Road America, and Vinnie Miller will be in the lineup in the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet.

The Johnsonville 180 will be contested over Road America’s 4.7-mile course Saturday. The race will be Miller’s first Xfinity run there.

The race over the 14-turn track is the third road-course event in the past four Xfinity races.

“Road America is the largest road course on the circuit,” Miller said. “I understand it is fast in some places and slow in others. I know it will be another challenging weekend for me since I've had trouble on the last two road courses.

“I have been working on my SIM all week and am going to do everything in my power to come home with a solid finish for JAS Expedited Trucking and JD Motorsports with Gary Keller.”

Practice is scheduled Friday at 1:35 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. (ET). Qualifying is set for 12:35 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.

CHASTAIN SCORES SOLID 12TH AT BMS

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Ross Chastain remains on course to make the Xfinity Series playoffs after a solid 12th-place finish in Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Chastain, driving the No. 4 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller, remains in 12th place in Xfinity points and is holding onto the final playoff slot with four races remaining. He is 42 points above the cutoff line.

“We did our job at Bristol,” Chastain said. “You’re always happy to get out of there with a race car in one piece and a good finish. Four races to go, and we’re in good shape.”

Kyle Larson won the race in overtime.

The series moves on to Road America for an Aug. 25 race. Remaining in the regular season are visits to Darlington Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

MILLER PARKS WITH TRANSMISSION ISSUES

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Vinnie Miller parked his JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet with transmission trouble in Friday night’s Food City 300 and finished 32nd.

“It wasn’t the weekend we hoped for at Bristol,” he said. “We had transmission problems late in the race, causing us to have to park it. But we finished 32nd, two spots better then where we started. We really need to get the monkey off our backs and start to have better results.

“I know how hard these JD Motorsports with Gary Keller guys work, and they deserve better finishes. Thanks to Flex Glue and JAS Expedited Trucking for their support.”

Miller remained in 26th position in Xfinity points.

Kyle Larson won the race in overtime.

The series moves on to Road America for an Aug. 25 race. Remaining in the regular season are visits to Darlington Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

SMITHLEY FINISHES 16th AT BRISTOL

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Garrett Smithley raced through a long overtime period and brought the No. 0 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet home 16th in Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The race was scheduled for 300 laps, but a caution flag extended it by 10.

“It was a long night, and we worked through it,” Smithley said. “The car was good, and we were able to run with some of the faster teams. Overall, a pretty good night on a tough track.”

Smithley is 20th in Xfinity points.

Kyle Larson won the race in overtime.

The series moves on to Road America for an Aug. 25 race. Remaining in the regular season are visits to Darlington Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

CHASTAIN LOOKING FOR BRISTOL REPEAT

BRISTOL, Tenn. – The April Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was a memorable one for Ross Chastain.

Chastain drove the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet to a ninth-place finish in that race. The result was his second-best run of the season and his best finish in seven career Xfinity races at the fast half-mile track.

Chastain will be looking for similar results Friday when Xfinity drivers return to BMS for the Food City 300.

“Bristol has always been one of my favorite tracks, and the performance we had there in April gave us a real boost,” Chastain said. “We can build off that for this week and hopefully have another top-10 finish.”

Chastain is 12th in Xfinity points and is battling for a spot in the playoffs.

Practices are scheduled at 10:05 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. Thursday. Qualifying is set for 3:40 p.m. Friday, with the race to follow at 7:30 p.m.